Latest news with #disillusionment
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
Harvard speech by Chinese graduate exposes class disillusionment and education gap at home
Controversy surrounding a speech given by a Chinese Harvard graduate reflects the Chinese public's 'disillusionment' with elite education and 'anger at class rigidity', according to a Chinese academic. Advertisement Jiang was the first Chinese woman selected as the student speaker at a Harvard graduation ceremony. 03:40 Absurd, anxious, concerned: Students react to US revoking Chinese student visas Absurd, anxious, concerned: Students react to US revoking Chinese student visas While her success was initially praised by the Chinese media, it soon drew criticism from social media users who questioned whether her 'privileged' family background truly represented the broader Chinese student population. As the controversy escalates, some academics and commentators have begun to examine how it reflects the Chinese public's growing disillusionment with elite education. Yuan Changgeng, an anthropologist at Yunnan University who has long studied changes in social attitudes, said that in recent years 'China's social classes have become increasingly rigid and tensions between them have been on the rise'. Advertisement He added that within the past two years, few of the 'elites' active on Chinese social media had been held up to public scrutiny without having flaws in their experience or morals exposed. 'People are increasingly recognising that competition in education is ultimately a competition of family finances and social capital [connections and resources],' said Yuan, referring to the fact that children from wealthy families in China often have access to more educational resources, both at home and abroad.
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Karine Jean-Pierre, Biden's White House press secretary, says she's no longer a Democrat
Washington — Karine Jean-Pierre, who was the White House press secretary under former President Joe Biden, is no longer a Democrat, according to her publisher's summary of her upcoming book, "Independent." A blurb by the publisher, the Hachette Book Group, says Jean-Pierre "didn't come to her decision to be an Independent lightly," and goes on to say that she "defines what it means to be part of the growing percentage of our fractured electorate that is Independent, why it can be worthwhile to carve a political space more loyal to personal beliefs than a party affiliation and what questions you need to ask yourself to determine where you fit politically." Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a conversation at 92NY on June 3, 2025, in New York City. John Lamparski / Getty Images The summary indicates that Jean-Pierre, a longtime Democrat who also worked for former President Barack Obama's administration and his presidential campaign, grew disillusioned with the party over its efforts to pressure Biden to drop his reelection bid last year. Biden ended up leaving the race for the White House weeks before the Democratic National Convention, and Vice President Kamala Harris went on to become the party's presidential nominee. She lost to President Trump in November. In addition to serving two Democratic presidents, Jean-Pierre was chief of staff to Harris during the 2020 campaign. "She takes us through the three weeks that led to Biden's abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision," the Hachette summary says. In her book, Jean-Pierre "shares why Americans must step beyond party lines to embrace life as Independents." The book will be available in October, according to the publisher. "Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the president of the United States. At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country," Jean-Pierre said in a statement from Legacy Lit, which is part of Hachette. "I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically. We need to be clear-eyed and questioning, rather than blindly loyal and obedient as we may have been in the past. And freeing ourselves of boxes is truly at the heart and soul of my new book, Independent." Jean-Pierre was Biden's second White House press secretary, taking over the position from Jen Psaki in 2022. She served as principal deputy press secretary before being elevated to the role of press secretary following Psaki's departure from the White House. Jean-Pierre was the first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve as White House press secretary.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Britain CAN be great again - and here's how! JEREMY HUNT's vital new book where he insists: It's time to stop wallowing
Missed yesterday's part one in the Mail? Read it here It was that diplomat and global thinker Henry Kissinger, a great and inspirational friend of mine, who warned the biggest pitfall for any country is self-doubt. And yet that is what we as a nation are going through. We are suffering an epidemic of self-loathing, a massive decline in self-confidence and crippling disillusionment.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
ANDREW NEIL: In 55 years of covering politics, I've never accused any UK government of routinely telling untruths. But Starmer & Co have taken lying and gaslighting to a deplorable level
How can you tell when politicians are lying? Their lips are moving. It's a hoary old joke but it can still be guaranteed to raise a rueful chuckle among British voters increasingly disillusioned with the political process. I always thought it a tad unfair. Yes, politicians do deploy all manner of contrivances to avoid telling the truth when it's inconvenient. As someone who's spent an adult lifetime interviewing them, I can readily testify to that.
Wall Street Journal
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
The Alienated ‘Knowledge Class' Could Turn Violent
In the 1970s, Western democracies faced a wave of political violence. In the U.S., a radical left-wing group called the Weather Underground bombed federal buildings to protest the Vietnam War. In West Germany, the Red Army Faction waged armed resistance against what it saw as a fascist state. Italy's Red Brigades kidnapped and assassinated public figures, including former Prime Minister Aldo Moro. These groups shared a trait: Many members were highly educated, middle- or upper-middle-class young people. These weren't the oppressed proletariat of Marxist theory, but the disillusioned children of privilege and university lecture halls. A similar dynamic could take root in the U.S. As the Trump administration downsizes public agencies, dismantles DEI programs and slashes academic research funding, it risks producing a new class of people who are highly educated but institutionally excluded. History suggests this group may become a source of unrest—and possibly violence.
